Night-time photos shed light on growing economies

2019-03-08 06:05:07

By Jim Giles (Image: NOAA/SPL) Gallery: Cities of lights NIGHT-TIME images taken from kilometres above the Earth could help us better understand the economies of some of the planet’s least developed countries. So say the US economists behind a method for measuring changes GDP using the intensity of street lights and other night-time lighting. A better way of estimating GDP is badly needed, especially for poorer nations. Data collected by national governments is weak when it comes to informal sectors of the economy, such as street markets. In some countries, such as Liberia,